Pabian Law Clients,
I hope everyone had a nice week! Below, please find our latest update on the recent immigration actions that have occurred in the last two weeks:
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ends for Somalia and Ethiopia
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the termination of TPS for Somalia and Ethiopia effective August 14th and 18th, respectively. Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are no longer valid, and employers should reverify impacted workers immediately.
U.S. Department of State (DOS) establishes task force to end birth tourism
On August 12th, DOS released a fact sheet establishing its new Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force that reviews visa holders’ activities to “identify instances of birth tourism, take action to revoke visas of those who engage in or facilitate it, and dismantle the networks that profit from this abuse.” The Task Force will collect information on individuals around the world held across the Department and other federal agencies, including DHS. The Task Force has already taken action by revoking over 600 visas from foreign nationals around the world.
This new task force further reflects the Administration’s continued effort to expand the vetting and screening of foreign nationals.
E-Verify “Status Change Report” updated to include changes with TPS and asylum-related EADs
On August 11th, E-Verify issued a notification that its Status Change Report now includes invalidated EADs for TPS and asylum holders and applicants (categories A12, C19, C08, and C09). Previously, the Status Change Report only included category C11 EADs for humanitarian parolees. The notice stated that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the authority to invalidate these EADs based on the withdrawal, approval, or denial of an applicant’s asylum petition or based on the termination of a TPS designation.
The Report serves as a resource for employers to identify workers’ whose EADs have been invalidated under these programs. EADs that are invalided based on the Report must be reverified using Supplement B.
DOS expands expedited visa interview program to more U.S. consulates and embassies
On July 22nd, DOS issued a temporary final rule implementing a new, optional $750 expedited appointment fee for visa applicants. The fee would allow certain B-1/B-2 nonimmigrant visa applicants to secure a visa appointment within ten (10) business days. Initially, this pilot program was only rolling out in Mission Mexico embassy and consulates. However, DOS has now expanded the program to Mission Canada embassy and consulates, and the embassies in Bogota, Guatemala City, San Jose, and Tegucigalpa.
We hope that you find these resources helpful as we all try to make sense of what is really happening in the world of immigration law.
Thanks, everyone, and have a great weekend!
Best regards,
Keith and the Pabian Law Team